Resiliently mounted shaft and brake hanger



1954 A. w. GAIR RESILIENTLY norm-mo SHAFT AND BRAKE HANGER Filed June19. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 31, 1954 v A. w. GAIR 2,587,737

RESILIENTLY MOUNTED SHAFT AND BRAKE HANGER Filed June 19. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W Alberz I L/T Gail" SOI'biIIgE shaft hanger: Q

RESIEIENTLY MOUNTED SHAFT AND BRAKE HANGER Albert W. Gair, Fraser,Mich.,,assignor. tolThompsonPioducts, Inc., C tiono'f Ohio leveland;Ohio, at corpora- ApplicatiomJune "19,: 1951, SeriaLNwZBZA-lfi 8iClaimsi 1, This invention relates 1 to: a brake torque ab.- More'specifically; the invention relates: tot-a propeller shaft hanger whichresiliently supports a vehicle propeller shaft assembly" for freerotation; which accommodates;

axial-a shifting of thea s-haft assemblwand; which. carriesthestationary parts of: anwauxiliaryvehicle brake to transmit thetbraket loadr direct to the 1 vehicle: frame.

Ordinarily, an auxiliary vehicle brake is mounted-on "the; transmission.so: thatv brake loads are transmitted to the transmission housing.-Additional shaft mounting: means are ltlheILplSO'ivided'l'for the twoormorea-isectionswofwthe .vehicle?s.-propel1er shaft) The present;inventionxpro vides.:a rsimple and efficient: hanger of; the shafts-andtransmitsubrake torque to the-1 vehicle a frame;

for resiliently: carrying the shaft; hearings.-

It isthen an object I'Of to provide a brake torqueabsorbmg-t-sha'fthanger; Another object of the invention: iS -tODIOVidBa swingable hanger for resiliently supporting; an; and: stationary;bralcel' rotatable propeller shaft parts.

A further object ofithe invention is-to provider. a compact dual:purposeupropellershafthanger:

and brake support having resilient bushingsrfon cushioning the brakingtorque-iandtfordampeningq out bearing noises and-shaft, vibration-a,

Al specific. obj ecti of the present invention is: to?

providera rubber bushedl shaft hanger; andrbrakea carrier whichwilltaceemmodateaxial, movement," of? the shaft without: t affecting:freeshaft rota-m tionror efficient brake action..

Other objects, features :andnadvantagest will be apparentfromthewfollowing detailed description.

of one embodiment. of;the.invention..shown in the it accompanyingdrawings.

On the drawings-L Eigure l is wanwendrelevational view, with parts.inttransverse: section, of an shaft-bearing. hanger. according to *thepresent inventioniwith-thel-braka ingtstructureshownwin" phantom:outline;

for-botha the brake and shafts whichpzaccommodatesrshifting;

The hanger preferably has rubberbushings-1 for cushioning the braheloadsandthe present invention Figure 2 l is a side: elevatienall view; withparts in longitudinal section, of the hanger assemblyshown. in" Figure l1 and further illustratingthe relationship-of therbrake topthe-l hanger.

As shownmon; the drawingsrzt In; the dram ingsr invention comprises a:housing, I I: having a cen.

tral; generally cylindrical. body portion; Illa. with.- l acylindricalrbore or opening .121 extendingmtherea the shaft hanger H)ofathisr through and with ta pair of anti-friction bearings pluralityofballbearings, I l andan inner race ring l8, with the outer race ringretained between an. annular shoulder l9; and a snap ring 20 disposedinanannular groove 2L The inner race ring. l8 .isdisposed aboutaaportion of a vehiclepropeller shaft 22 with one side abutting the end ofa flanged collar 24 and the other side abutting theend ofraspaoingsleeve 25. The anti-friction bearing lihasuan outer. racering.zfiwsecuredhin one end portion of l the opening l2 as bybeingpressfitted therein, a plurality of balLbearings 21, and an innerrace ring 28. The inner race ring 28is-disposedabout another portion:of; the propeller'shaft 2:2. andrhas one side against thetopposite endofthe spacing" sleeve 25m The inner race=ringf28 is retained againstmovement inthe other-directionrby the ball bearings 21 :andrantenIargement-ZS formed onthepropeller shaft whichvclamps a bearingseal flange F against the inner race ring In order to resiliently andpivotally secure thehousing H: to a; cross framemember 30 of a vehicleorthe like, the cylindrical body I la is provided withav'pair of opposedlateral trunnions or gudgeons 3! with annular shoulders 32 formed-at thejunctures. of the bosses with the central portion of the housing. Aresiliently yieldablenbushing 34,formed of rubber or the like,isdisposecltin-l conforming relation about eachiofrthe'bosses 3|". Thebushings 34 have integral outturnedannular flangestt abutting theshoulders 32,and.iarenprovidedywith axially inwardly taperedfrusto-conical outer surfaces 36.

Anpair. of laterally aligned-suspension pivot arms 31,. 31 have endibosses 38 provided with frusto-conical transverse bores 39 disposed inconforming relation about the frusto-conical bushingsurfaces: 3,6.1Whenv assembled thus the bushings. 34iarepre-1oaded; sothat pivoting ofthe; housing will beaccommodated by torsional. stresses set, up in the,bushings; 40. are provided at the inner ends of the bores 39 and affordannular shoulders 41- which abut thetbushing. fiangeswflion thesides-opposite theof thebores' 44 being parallel to those inthebores-39i Annular grooves- In order to pivotally attach the arms 31 tothe frame member 30, a frame bracket 45 is fixedly secured to the framemember by means of bolts .6, nuts 41 and washers 48 with the boltsextending through a pad portion 553 which abuts a web of the framemember. The bracket has a pair of integral reinforcing flanges 52extending away from the pad portion and supporting at their outer endsan integral barrel portion 54. The barrel 54 is provided with a bore 55having nested sleeves therein including an outer sleeve 56 and an innersleeve 5? secured in conforming relation therein. A pivot pin 58 isjournaled in the bore 55 in the inner surface of the inner sleeve 51.The opposite ends of the pin 58 extend out of the bore and are retainedin the cylindrical apertures 44 formed through the pivot arm bosses 42by means of bolts 59 extend ing across slots 60 which are definedbetween pairs of opposed clamp ears GI and 62. A pair of thrust washers6 3 are disposed between the opposing ends of the barrel 54 and thebosses 52.

In order to lubricate the journal portion of the pivot pin 58, alubricant fitting may be inserted through the wall of the barrel 54 tocommunicate with the surface of the pin.

For lubricating the anti-friction bearings Hi and i5, the gudgeons 3|may be formed with axial apertures 56 which communicate with theinterior of the. opening i2 and are normally closed by means of closuremembers 61.

From the structure described thus far, it will be seen that axialmovement of the propeller shaft 22 is accommodated by pivoting of thehousing H on the trunnion mounts 3| and by pivoting of the pivot arms 31with the pivot pin 58 which is rotatable in the barrel 54 of the bracket45. Vibration of the propeller shaft will be damped by means of theresilient bushings 34 so that vibration of the vehicle frame and thenoise level will be substantially reduced, Also, the pivotal mounting ofthe housing will compensate for discrepancies in length and axiallocation of the shaft. Other tolerance discrep ancies will beaccommodated by the resilient bushings 34 so that the shaft will besubstantially self-aligning and the various shaft mounting bearings willbe protected against unusual and unnecessary loads.

According to the concepts of the present invention, auxiliary brakemeans are associated with the shaft bearing hanger and the adjacentportion of the shaft for selectively arresting rotation of the shaft andtransferring the braking torque through the hanger assembly housing tothe vehicle frame. Herein such means comprise non-rotatable brakemechanism 68 secured to the body H and rotatable braking structure 69secured to the adjacent portion of the propeller shaft 22. The brakemechanism 68 may comprise an actuating linkage assembly iii, a brakebacking plate H and brake shoes 12. The backing plate is fixedly securedto the body H by means of bolts M, nuts 15 and washers it with the boltsextending through the backing plate and integral ears ll formed on thebody 5 l. The braking structure 69 may comprise a brake drum '58, whichmay be secured to the propeller shaft 22 through the flanged collar 24and an opposing flange '29 formed at the end of a second propeller shaftsection 22a. The brake drum 69 is mounted about the brake shoes 12 inthe conventional manner so that when the auxiliary brake is actuatedthrough the linkage Hi, the brake shoes will be expanded outwardly toengage the inner surface of the brake drum to arrest rotary movement ofthe propeller shaft.

It will be seen that when the auxiliary brake is actuated, the brakingtorque will be transmitted to the hanger body i I and from the body willbe transmitted to the vehicle frame through the resilient bushings 34,the pivot arms 31, the pivot pin 53 and the attachment bracket 45.Referring to Figure 1, it will be seen that the frustoconicalconfiguration of the bushing, which affords a greater thickness axiallyoutwardly, will evenly and resiliently transfer the braking torque fromthe trunnion mounts 3! to the pivot arms. This will be readilyunderstood since the greater thickness of the bushings is at the outwardend portions of the mounts where the greatest amount of rotationalmovement will occur in response to the braking torque.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that the presentinvention provides an improved and simplified shaft bearing hanger whichwill accommodate axial movement of the propeller shaft and will dampvibration of the shaft. An auxiliary braking mechanism is included incombination with the bearing hanger so that braking torque isefficiently transmitted from the braking mechanism through the hangerhousing to the vehicle frame.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effectedwithout departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the presentinvention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vehicle having a rotatable propeller shaft and a shaft brake, ashaft and brake hang er comprising a hollow housing with opposed lateralgudgeons, bearing supported in said housing for rotatably supporting theshaft means having lower end structure resiliently pivoted on saidgudgeons and upper end structure pivoted on the vehicle to swingablymount the housing and to absorb vibration, brake mechanism non-rotatablysecured to said housing, and r0- tatable brake structure secured to theshaft in position for braking engagement by said mechanism to retardrotation of the shaft whereby torsional braking torque applied to saidhousing from said shaft is resiliently transmitted through said housingand resilient pivots to the vehicle.

2. A shaft and brake hanger for a rotatable propeller shaft and anauxiliary brake of a vehicle, comprising a housing having a longitudinalcentral bore, bearing means in said bore for rotatably supporting theshaft, means extending transversely of said housing and said shaft andresiliently pivotally connecting said housing to the vehicle about anaxis transverse to the shaft, a brake backing plate mounted on saidhousing, braking means secured to said backing plate, and a brake drummounted on the shaft in position for braking engagement by said brakingmeans to retard rotation of the shaft, whereby braking torque istransmitted from the braking means through said resilient means to thevehicle to thereby absorb torsional shocks and vibrations from saidshaft and braking means.

3. In a vehicle having a rotatable propeller shaft, a supporting andbraking assembly comprising a housinghaving a central opening forreceiving the shaft freely therethrough and a pair of trunnions mountedthereon and extending transversely of the axis of the shaft, bearingmeans in said opening for rotatably supporting the shaft, resilientbushings enveloping said trunnions, a pair of pivot arms each having oneend pivotally secured to the vehicle and the other end enveloping one ofsaid bushings to accommodate axial movement of the shaft and to absorbvibrations, a brake backing plate mounted on said housing, braking meanssecured to said backing plate, and a brake drum mounted on the shaft inposition for braking engagement by said braking means to retard rtationof the shaft, whereby torsional braking torque is resilientlytransmitted from said plate. and housing through said bushings to thevehicle.

4. A supporting and braking combination for a rotatable propeller shaftin a vehicle, comprising a housing having a pair of lateral trunnionsthereon, bearing means secured to the housing for rotatably supportingthe shaft, a resilient bushing secured about each of said trunnions, apair of pivot arms each having an end portion engaged about one of saidbushings, an attachment bracket affixed to the vehicle, means pivotallysecuring the other end portions of said arms to said bracket, wherebyaxial movement of the shaft is accommodated by pivoting of the housingand the arms and torsional shaft vibrations are absorbed by saidbushings, brake means secured to said housing, and braking structuresecured to the shaft in position for braking engagement by said brakemeans to retard rotation of the shaft, whereby braking torque isresiliently transmitted from said housing through said bushings to thevehicle.

5. A shaft and brake hanger comprising a generally cylindrical body witha longitudinal bore therethrough and laterally extending opposedgudgeons thereon, bearings in said bore for rotatably supporting ashaft, a resilient bushing disposed about each of said gudgeons, a pairof pivot arms having end portions engaged about said bushings, anattachment bracket, a pivot pin journalled in said bracket, said armshaving their other ends secured to said pivot pin whereby axial movementof the shaft is accommodated by pivoting of the housing and the armswhile shaft vibrations are absorbed by said bushings, means for mountingnon-rotatable brake structure on the housing, and cooperating brakingmeans on said shaft whereby braking torque is resiliently transmittedfrom said housing through said, bushings to the vehicle.

6. A shaft and brake hanger comprising a housing having a longitudinalbore therethrough, bearing means in said bore for rotatably supporting ashaft, saidhousing having a pair of oppositely extending alignedgudgeons perpendicular to a shaft carried by said bearing means, annularshoulders at the inner ends, of the gudgeons, brake mounting means insaid housing, resiliently yieldable bushings disposed in conformingrelation about said gudgeons and having annular flanges abutting saidshoulders, a pair of pivot arms having end portions conforminglyengaging said bushings with annular shoulders abutting said bushingflanges outwardly of said housing shoulders, an attachment brackethaving a transverse bore, a bearing stantially sleeve in said bore, apivot pin journaled in said sleeve and having end portions extending outof said bore, and said pivot arms having end portions secured to thepivot pin end portions, whereby axial movement of the shaft isaccommodated by pivoting of the housing and the arms and torsional andlateral shaft and brake vibrations are absorbed by said bushings.

'7. A brake and shaft hanger comprising a generally cylindrical housinghaving a longitudinal bore therethrough, a pair of oppositely ex tendingcylindrical trunnions in said housing perpendicular to the axis of thebore with annular shoulders formed at the junctures of the trunnionswith the housing, said bore having bearings secured therein forrotatably supporting a shaft, attachment means on one end of the housingfor rigidly mounting a brake plate subconcentrically thereto,resiliently yieldable bushings disposed in conforming relation aboutsaid trunnions and having annular flanges abutting said shoulders, saidbushings having inwardly tapered frusto-conical outer surfaces, a pairof pivot arms each having a frusto-conical bore in one end portion withan annular shoulder formed at the inner end of the bore, saidfrusto-conical bores enveloping said bushings and. said pivot armshoulders abutting said bushing flanges, an attachment bracket having abore disposed transversely of the housing bore, and a pivot pinjournaled in said bore of the bracket and having end portions extendingbeyond said bore, said pivot arms having bosses enveloping said endportions of the pivot pin, and means for clamping the bosses on said endportion whereby axial shifting of said shaft is accommodated by saidpivot arms and pivots and torsional forces of said brake are resilientlytransmitted to th pin through said bushings.

8. In a shaft and brake hanger for cooperation with a rotatable shaft, ahollow, housing with opposed trunnions extending transversely of theaxis of said shaft, a bearing supported in said housing for rotatablysupporting the shaft,

, means resiliently pivoted on said trunnions, said means being pivotedin turn to a fixed support to swingably mount the housing for absorptionof vibration and accommodation of axial movement of said shaft,non-rotatable brake mechanism secured to said housing, and rotatable.brake structure secured to the shaft in position for braking engagementby said non-rotatable brake mechanism to retard rotation of the shaftwhereby torsional braking torque is transmitted through said housing andresilient pivots to said fixed support and whereby said resilient pivotsabsorb torsional vibrations incident to braking action.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

